Junior Starlets gear up for historic FIFA U-17 women's World Cup debut

On August 23, Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche called up 35 players to the camp at the Utalii Grounds in Nairobi. During the global tournament, the team will face England, Korea Republic, and Mexico in Group C.

The players are expected to remain in camp until September 10, after which they will travel to Spain for an extended training period before departing for the Dominican Republic on October 4.

Kenya, making its debut in the competition, will kick off their campaign against England on Thursday, October 17, 2024. The Young Lionesses have participated in the competition twice, with their best finish being fourth place in 2008.

Kenya will also face a formidable challenge against two-time champions, Korea DPR (North Korea), who have participated in the tournament seven times. The Korea DPR team has reached the World Cup finals on three occasions, winning the title in 2008 and 2016.

The Junior Starlets received a significant boost ahead of the competition, as the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) announced on August 22 that it will prepare special Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations for eight players from the squad.

KNEC CEO David Njeng’ere confirmed this in a letter to the Ministry of Sports, following a request to accommodate the players who are due to sit for national exams in the coming months.

Kenya will also seek to prove their mettle against Mexico, who have made six appearances in the competition, finishing as runners-up in 2018.

The Junior Starlets qualified for the global stage in heroic fashion, defeating Burundi 5-0 on aggregate in their final qualification match on June 16.